St. Louis man sentenced for fatal beating of infant son

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

St. Louis man sentenced for fatal beating of infant son

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty in the beating death of his son just days before the child’s first birthday.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 23-year-old Deveontay Bell was sentenced Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and child abuse resulting in death. He had been charged with second-degree murder and the child abuse charge.

The baby wasn’t breathing and was cold to the touch when police were called to Bell’s home in 2016. The baby, identified as Devontay Bell, was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Witnesses told police Bell was the only one caring for Devontay for 24 hours before the child’s death. The medical examiner said the boy’s injuries were consistent with being struck in the abdomen.
___
Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com